Thursday, September 20, 2012

Cycling: James Ernst is a jackass

Though ABC Newsquotes his son as calling him "a gentle old man," 75-year-old Erie resident James Ernst appears anything but in a video taken by former professional cyclist Dirk Friel that's been viewed nearly 200,000 times.

In it, Ernst can be seen driving his Ford Explorer as slowly as the bikers, honking his horn like an obnoxious fool the whole time. Recording with one hand while riding with the other, Friel summed up the whole bit of stupidity when he said, "This is getting old."

Beyond this incident, however, is a deeper problem that exists between drivers and cyclists. Everyone who drives a motor vehicle or rides a bicycle on streets has to be part of the solution to escalating tensions.

For motorists, that means being courteous, law-abiding and mindful of the size of the vehicle they're piloting. For cyclists, it means no more blowing through stop signs or red lights and being thoughtful about sharing the road with motor vehicles.

And for both sides, a friendly wave - as opposed to a single-finger salute - would go a long way toward easing animosity in many situations. However, the incident depicted in the video on Sunday doesn't seem to be like most incidents.

The driver was eventually tracked down and ticketed, says the Post, "for misdemeanor harassment, impeding the flow of traffic and improper use of his horn."